This prize is awarded annually to internationally-renowned researchers for their remarkable work in drug development. The awards ceremony will be held on September 4, 2022, in Nice at the International Medicinal Chemistry Symposium.
This prestigious Klaus Grohe award is a tribute to the remarkable quality of the work conducted by Raphaël. Through his research, a scientific discipline is emerging at the crossroads of chemistry and biology and offers a glimpse of new and very promising therapeutic approaches for oncology, and for other fields as well
Enthuses Prof. Alain Puisieux, Director of the Institut Curie Research Center.
Jacques Maddaluno, director of the CNRS Chemistry institute, explained:
After the esteemed Tetrahedron Young Investigator Award, the Klaus Grohe prize demonstrates the fertility of the molecular approach applied to living organisms, as conducted by Raphaël, an organic chemist by training. His approach has considerably enriched modern chemical biology and will have important repercussions on therapeutic chemistry
At Institut Curie, Raphaël Rodriguez, CNRS research director, heads the Chemical Biology team. He conducts research that provides new knowledge in chemistry, improved understanding of biological mechanisms at the molecular level, and aims to discover new and unique therapeutic approaches and new drug molecules.
Raphaël Rodriguez has overseen the synthesis of remodelin, a small molecule able to correct defects in chromatin organization observed in cell ageing by targeting acetyl-transferase NAT10. His research has also led to the first chemical synthesis of the complex natural product marmycin and ironomycin, which targets the metabolism of iron and can act on tumor processes. Along with his team he succeeded in explaining the action mechanism of salinomycin against cancerous stem cells, and identifying the role of iron in maintaining these cells.
I am very honored to be receiving this prize awarded to me today. It is the result of a collective effort led for over a decade. We are going to continue our efforts to better understand the physio-pathological phenomena taking place within our cells and use them to develop the medications of the future
Announces Raphaël Rodriguez, winner of the Klaus Grohe prize 2022.
| Born in Avignon in 1978, Raphaël Rodriguez was initially trained as an organic chemist. He obtained his doctoral degree at the University of Marseille and the University of Oxford, then did a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Cambridge (UK) before joining the CNRS in 2012. Raphaël Rodriguez has received several awards, including the Tetrahedron Young Investigator Award, the Lacassagne prize (Collège de France) and the Grand Prix Charles Defforey (Académie des Sciences). He is the scientific co-founder of several companies. |